The chapter that I found most interesting in Ravitch’s Reign of Error was Chapter 25: Class Size Matters for Teaching and Learning. In this chapter, Ravitch proposes her fourth solution: “Reduce class sizes to improve student achievement and behavior.”
This topic is especially interesting to me because I understand the differences in learning quality based on class size. I agree that both students and teachers benefit from smaller classroom sizes. I attended Barrington High School, the top public high school in Rhode Island according to U.S. News & World Report published in 2014. According to the Profile for the Class of 2014 put out by the official school website, the average class size is 21 students. I found this to be mostly true. Some of my classes were about this size, but most were more. I didn’t recognize the true value of classes under 25 people until I was enrolled in an American Studies course my sophomore year of high school. This course was double the average class size, but with two teachers. I didn’t feel like this made a difference. I was lost in the sea of people around me. I didn’t feel comfortable asking questions aloud and I never felt like I got the individual help I deserved. This course was a different learning experience for me that I did not enjoy. Now in college, I feel the same way. I enjoy my small EDC 102H class, and strongly dislike my PSY 113 lecture with an auditorium full of people.
Ravitch’s claims support my opinions from the experiences that I had in high school. On page 245, she quotes economist James Heckman in saying, “attending smaller classes helps to develop the non-cognitive skills..that are so important to success in work, in college, and later in life.” The smaller class size allows teachers to give each student the individual attention they need to succeed academically. At risk students with learning challenges benefit most from smaller classes. This is all proven by higher student test scores and graduation rates from students in smaller class sizes. The issue with this reform is the reality. Reducing class sizes is a desire of many reformers, but it is unlikely that this agenda will ever push through due to financial restrictions. Tight school budgets will not allow the hiring of additional teachers. Personally, I think that the spending is worth it. The impact is significantly positive because students are more likely to succeed, and isn’t that the ultimate goal of American Education?
This topic is especially interesting to me because I understand the differences in learning quality based on class size. I agree that both students and teachers benefit from smaller classroom sizes. I attended Barrington High School, the top public high school in Rhode Island according to U.S. News & World Report published in 2014. According to the Profile for the Class of 2014 put out by the official school website, the average class size is 21 students. I found this to be mostly true. Some of my classes were about this size, but most were more. I didn’t recognize the true value of classes under 25 people until I was enrolled in an American Studies course my sophomore year of high school. This course was double the average class size, but with two teachers. I didn’t feel like this made a difference. I was lost in the sea of people around me. I didn’t feel comfortable asking questions aloud and I never felt like I got the individual help I deserved. This course was a different learning experience for me that I did not enjoy. Now in college, I feel the same way. I enjoy my small EDC 102H class, and strongly dislike my PSY 113 lecture with an auditorium full of people.
Ravitch’s claims support my opinions from the experiences that I had in high school. On page 245, she quotes economist James Heckman in saying, “attending smaller classes helps to develop the non-cognitive skills..that are so important to success in work, in college, and later in life.” The smaller class size allows teachers to give each student the individual attention they need to succeed academically. At risk students with learning challenges benefit most from smaller classes. This is all proven by higher student test scores and graduation rates from students in smaller class sizes. The issue with this reform is the reality. Reducing class sizes is a desire of many reformers, but it is unlikely that this agenda will ever push through due to financial restrictions. Tight school budgets will not allow the hiring of additional teachers. Personally, I think that the spending is worth it. The impact is significantly positive because students are more likely to succeed, and isn’t that the ultimate goal of American Education?